Category Archives: Child Custody
The Digital Parenting Plan
By Laura A. Olson, Florida Family Law Attorney How clear rules for apps, calendars, records, devices, and virtual contact can reduce conflict between Florida co-parents A parenting plan written only for pickup times and holidays is incomplete. Much of modern co-parenting now happens through portals, apps, shared calendars, school systems, and the child’s devices…. Read More »
When a Child Comes Home With a Troubling Disclosure
By: Laura A. Olson, Florida Family Law Attorney How to protect the child, avoid suggestive questioning, and preserve reliable evidence in a Florida parenting case A child’s statement may require immediate protection. It may also become the center of a disputed parenting case. The first adult response can affect both the child’s welfare and… Read More »
Alcohol Monitoring in Florida Parenting Cases
By Laura A. Olson, Florida Family Law Attorney What breath tests, PEth, EtG, and continuous monitoring can prove, and what a workable court order should say Alcohol allegations become useful to a court only when the evidence answers the right question. A test for recent exposure, a point-in-time breath result, and a longer-term biomarker… Read More »
Is 50/50 Time-Sharing Automatic in Florida? What the Presumption Really Means.
By: Laura A. Olson, Florida Family Law Attorney Florida law begins with a presumption in favor of equal time-sharing, but it does not make the outcome automatic. The court must still decide whether an equal schedule serves this particular child under the family’s actual circumstances. The short answer Florida law now begins with a… Read More »
Child Therapy in a High-Conflict Custody Case
When Therapy Becomes an Issue in a Florida Custody Case In the middle of a high-conflict custody case, a parent’s instinct is usually the right one: get the child help. When children are caught in ongoing parental conflict, exposed to tension between parents, and trying to make sense of a changing home, therapy can… Read More »
How the “Best Interests of the Child” Standard May Apply in Your Divorce
If you are planning to get divorced in Florida and you share minor children with your spouse, it is important for you to understand how the “best interests of the child” standard may apply in your divorce case. While the process for divorce does not necessarily involve issues pertaining to child custody when the… Read More »
Will Child Custody Be Decided in My Divorce?
Are you considering divorce and wondering how the divorce will impact your minor children? Divorces involving minor children are quite common. A recent study from Bowling Green State University reported that over 40 percent of divorces involve minor children, and that rate has remained stable over a number of years even though the overall… Read More »
Understanding Vacuum Jurisdiction in Florida Child Custody Matters
In the realm of child custody disputes, “vacuum jurisdiction” refers to a situation where no state has a clear claim of jurisdiction over a child under existing legal frameworks. This issue often arises in cases involving families that move frequently, reside across multiple states, or fail to establish a clear “home state” for the… Read More »
Child Custody Jurisdiction
Legal matters can be complex, and family law matters, including child custody matters, are not any different. One of the most crucial concepts to understand when it comes to child custody matters is the concept of jurisdiction. In child custody cases, jurisdiction refers to a court’s authority to handle the child custody case and… Read More »
Common Reasons a Parent May Lose Child Custody in Florida
In Florida, family courts believe that, even after a divorce, both parents should remain involved in their child’s life. Florida law even created a rebuttable presumption that equal timesharing is in the child’s best interests. This means that unequal timesharing can only be ordered if it is proven that equal timesharing is not in… Read More »